Hello! I’m applying as a OOS student for the Dwight Look College of Engineering and my question is if I qualify for automatic admissions (as a academic admit), would I be able to get into the engineering school as an auto admit?
Also, if I apply early would that give me a better chance of getting in engineering? Thanks!
If you qualify for academic admission, you will not automatically be able to get into the Look College of Engineering. While accepted to the university, your application will be reviewed for the major you request (engineering). If you are selected for engineering, you will be subject to applying to major at the earliest, Spring of your freshman year. If you have a 3.5 or better, you are guaranteed your first choice of major.
Here is a link for the spring 2015 admit percentage and the GPA’s required. Click the other links on the right to see those major’s acceptance rates.
https://engineering.tamu.edu/academics/advisors-procedures/entry-to-a-major/resources/analysis-spring-2015-admission-cycle/meen
Here is the link that explains entry to major
@Thelma2 This explains a lot, Thank You!
Yes; you can apply as early as August, I think and they have rolling admissions. So, earlier is better! Also, your Dorm Priority, which follows you throughout your time at A&M, is established before your Freshman year. So, apply early, and sign up for a dorm the minute you receive your acceptance.
In ApplyTexas, it’s not that hard to do the general admission application and then the supplement for Engr. I think there are a couple of extra questions to answer. You will get your admit notices separately, so don’t be discouraged if you get your general admission acceptance a few weeks before Engr.
Here’s something I posted about researching Engr programs on another thread, that I’ll copy in here (pardon any superfluous info).
While it’s important to check out the ‘rep’ of the school for the specific Engr department you’re looking at (eg.g. EE), I think it’s also really important to find a school with a strong all-around Engr program.
US News & World report divides rankings by department. Here’s the one for EE: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-electrical-electronic-communications and UT-Austin is #8 in the nation. If you don’t want to pay US News $30 for complete access, you can look at the rankings for Grad Schools and get a very good idea:
http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/search?program=top-engineering-schools&name=&sort=program_rank&sortdir=asc With this one, you can specify state and sort by rank, etc.
In most rankings (I checked 6 of the biggest national rankings), A&M trails UT-Austin by one spot. So, they’re pretty comparable.
A&M (TAMU) Engr is very strong. It’s overall Engr program is about twice that of UT-Austin’s, with more than twice the funding. It just has a lot more projects going on that you can contribute to, so you’re a lot more likely to get hands-on something you’re actually interested in.
They also have a new program, launching Fall 2016, which will encourage, support, and fund(!) students to conduct individual research. Also, if you decide you want to change the specific department within Engr, you have a LOT more options at A&M.
A substantial number of incoming Freshmen Engrs changed their minds about their specific major, after they were introduced to a wide variety of fields. So, A&M changed the way they did Engr Admits about 3 years ago. Now, Engr students are admitted to Gen Engr, then in the Spring semester apply to their specific major. You can check the website to see what kind of grades are needed to get into the specific dept you’re interested in (high-school works counts also), and see the acceptance %.
Just one more item, they have changed the cutoff dates for applications for Engineering at TAMU. It is much earlier than regular admissions, October 15. http://admissions.tamu.edu/freshman/apply-engineering
http://admissions.tamu.edu/freshman/apply-engineering
Perhaps I’m reading this differently. (I wish I could embed images!)
Under ‘When to Apply’, I see a deadline of Oct 15th for the ‘SPRING 2017 application term’. So, apply in October for a January start.
For Fall 2017, I see the same dates as this year:
OPENS August 1, 2016
EARLY ACTION CLOSES October 15, 2016
CLOSES December 1, 2016
The opening date has always been outrageously early, imho. But, I’ve heard the odds of being admitted are much higher for the earlier applicants, so it pays to plan ahead!
@AGmomx2 @AuntieMame Thanks for the info! Would you guys recommend to start my application on August 1 and then turn in the required materials at a little later date? Also, when you say that odds of being admitted are higher for early applicants, do you mean early action vs regular decision or like August 1 vs October 1? Thanks!
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do you mean early action vs regular decision or like August 1 vs October 1?
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No. They have rolling admissions, so the earlier you can present a finished packet, the better. (They won’t review it until it’s finished.) A friend of mine received his admission packet in early September. He immediately applied for housing, so he had top priority throughout his undergrad.
I’m not sure what the rationale is for an Early Decision deadline in October, when you have rolling admissions that start several months before, in August. Perhaps it’s to assure applicants of when they’ll receive an answer.
This is strictly a matter of personal preference, but I think it’s better to present a complete application, if you can. As you add materials you may find more information you wished you could put on the application.
@AuntieMame That’s a good point, I’ll probably wait until I have my full application. Thank you for the advice!
The initial information was that early action deadline was for College Station campus eligibility for Engineering - I would ask if that is still what they will do. It was previously stated that those who apply after October 15th would not be considered for College Station campus engineering major (by apply they mean completed application, not just a portion). That was the initial information, not sure if that has changed - after the Oct 15 deadline you would only be considered for Blinn or Galveston was the original information given. This is a new process - maybe someone else will chime in. Maybe they changed their minds? IDK, I would highly suggest you get in everything ASAP.
As far as waiting to apply - if you start an application with most of the information your app goes ahead having those items reviewed and is further down the process. If you’re waiting for score updates, you can send in what you have then update later but no later than Dec 1. Keep in mind, this is a huge university and they’re not going to keep track of whether you had all your paperwork submitted together or had to send something else later. I would not take the same approach if it were a small university. You can’t change your essays once submitted, so do pay attention to what you submit. Procrastination is a big problem here as it is rolling admissions and when they’re full, they’re full.
On a side note, this process has been updating each year - be sure to contact a prospective student center (it is to your benefit to give your name - they keep track) and check for the latest policy. They won’t be surprised or annoyed - there has been numerous changes in the last few years and this is one of the bigger changes with an early action date AND 100% review for Engineering majors.
I had a brief Chat Session with Admissions, who said, “Admissions has not been made aware of any news like that; however, Engineering is making some changes to its program. I would not be concerned about it unless you see it on the Engineering website.”
The website we’re talking about is an Engr Admissions website, but there’s a possibility that changes are coming down the pike that aren’t currently reflected. At this point, a call to Engr would be in order, but I’m short on time so will leave that as ‘an exercise for the student’.
http://admissions.tamu.edu/freshman/apply-engineering
It was a quote from the engineering department site that was online Jan 28 - the link no longer works. It was the explanation of early action vs. regular admission deadline. Now early action doesn’t really have an explanation other than earlier response. You must have chatted with an employee that wasn’t around back in January 
Another website has been amended somewhat - use to say (early action next to the college station in parentheses like it say general deadline next to Galveston ) http://engineering.tamu.edu/easa/areas/recruitment/admissions